I"ve never dried w/ DNA gotta few questions.

[Bill Wyko]

Will DNA disolve wax on a blank?

How long should a piece be in it?

Will it promote cracking & warping?

How soon can you turn the piece once it's out?

I have a few I'd like to get to this summer.

[Faust M. Ruggiero]

Hey Bill,
I can answer most of your questions but not whether or not it will dissolve wax. DNA does not promote cracking or warping, It does not stop normal distortion normally associated with the trying process either. Pieces can soak from several hours to several days. I have forgotten pieces for a few weeks with no apparent harm. Depending on the thickness and relative humidity, pieces can dry in as little as six weeks. I leave mine longer but that's just me. As with any drying process, they are dry when the meter says they are but it is a fraction of the time associated with a paper bag.
Buy a gallon, soak a piece you are willing to experiment with and see how you like it. By the way, some woods darken the DNA and the darkened liquid can slightly darken light pieces. I no longer soak walnut for that reason.
faust

[Roger Chandler]

Why would you put wax [anchorseal] on a blank before soaking in DNA?

soak for a day or two [or a few days] depending on size........at least overnight.

DNA replaces the water or moisture in the cellular structure.........it dries more quickly than water, but also seems to allow the cells in the wood to somehow become more stable and by putting in a bag or box to dry, you create a controlled environment which means it will be a slow release of moisture at a controlled rate..........[more so than if you just left it out in the air] I weigh my blanks until they stop loosing weight.........then I know they are about as stable as they will get and are ready to finish turn.

Once the piece is not loosing weight..........finish turn it!

If you get those pieces in the DNA and then sealed with newspaper or anchorseal and bag them up and seal the bag [staple shut] then you might be able to turn them in July or August............depending on the size and thickness of the roughouts.

If you already have them coated in wax or anchorseal, that will block the absorption of the DNA...........might be better to start the DNA process on new turnings.

[Mike Cruz]

Bill, here are my experiences with DNA:

Will DNA disolve wax on a blank?
If by wax, you mean AnchorSeal, then no. The AnchorSeal will remain on the wood.

How long should a piece be in it?
Depending on wall thickness, 1-2 days

Will it promote cracking & warping?
The piece will warp "normally", but with proper drying should "resist" cracking...or at least keep it to a minimum. By proper drying, I mean that you wrap the piece in a paper bag, and cut out a section (for a bowl, the middle) to allow slow evaporation.

How soon can you turn the piece once it's out?
From what I have been told, which is what I do, wait 2 weeks. I'm trying to wait longer on the bigger pieces to make sure they are dry. But I've been still getting some warping after final turning...

[Mike Cruz]

Roger, as I responded already, I know that DNA does not disolve AnchorSeal because I've put pen and bottle stopper blanks in the DNA bath, and when I pulled them out, realized that one end had AnchorSeal from when I coated the outside of the log/slab. So, while I agree, you shouldn't put a roughout into DNA that is already coated with AnchorSeal, some of us know (from experience :o) that it doesn't disolve it...

[Fred Belknap]

Will DNA disolve wax on a blank?
I don't DNA blanks just rough outs. Don't know about wax.


How long should a piece be in it?
I keep my bowls in the DNA at least 24 hours.


Will it promote cracking & warping?
I think it does just the opposite but you still get some warpage.


How soon can you turn the piece once it's out?
Some people say two weeks but I let them dry for at least a month.
Bill I tried boiling and had success but I get about the same with DNA and it is a lot easier, at least for me. I have forgot some in the alcohol for a week without a problem.

[Roger Chandler]

I let this bowl dry after a DNA soak for about 4-1/2 weeks..........finish turned it and it is nice and round and really stable and it is white oak from the SJPT, which has given me fits in the past..........this one really came out nicely.

231068 I post this as an example of what can happen if things go your way........otherwise this bowl would have gone very oval on me and likely cracked big time, but I hit things just right with this one on a very crack-prone piece of wood!

[Bill Wyko]

Thanks everyone, I'll try this soon. The reason I asked about the wax is because I've bought blanks that come already coated. We're coming up on our hottest time of the year so I want to see which drys quicker and keeps the wood in the better condition. June is typically in the 102 to 107+ temps and dry as dust.

[Ken Glass]

Bill,
I can only add that I weigh my rough out's after wrapping/sealing in brown paper and then weigh it every few days until it stops losing weight for thre days in a row and then I finish turn it. With that method I rarely have any problems with movement after the piece is finished.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Bill, up here, I use the DNA to help dry out my rough-outs because we usually have a very high humidity level due to Lake Superior being so close. My concern with you using DNA is that the forms may dry out much too quickly with your high temps and lack of humidity.

I agree that you should try one blank and see how it goes before you run out and purchase 5 gallons of DNA! Also, the real key to keeping your rough-outs from cracking is to make sure the wall thickness is consistent! Seriously - to have a blank dry evenly, the walls have to be the same thickness!